Looking for Soccer News?

Arsenal defender Leah Williamson believes the club still has ambition and she trusts the right managerial appointment will be made this summer after the departure of Joe Montemurro.

The defender signed a new contract on Wednesday, ending months of speculation after her previous deal was set to expire this summer. New French champions Paris Saint-Germain were among those reported to be interested in the England international, as were former European champions Lyon and Wolfsburg.

However, Williamson will remain with the club with whom she won the 2018-19 Women’s Super League title as she is confident that, after finishing third in the past two seasons, the Gunners have what it takes to get back to the top.

What has been said?

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Williamson said: “This has been the toughest decision, contract wise, I've had to make, in terms of where I'm at in my career, and where the club is at.

“I think that was what I had to weigh up. Do we have the ambitions, firstly, that match my own? Do we want to be that team to compete, and can we compete? Those were the things that I just wanted to confirm, anything that I maybe was just a bit on the fence about because, as you know, Arsenal is everything to me.

“It was time to really make a football decision and not be blinded by my absolute love and affection for the football club.

“I put my emotion maybe to one side and just looked at as a footballer. I almost looked at it from the perspective of, 'if I wasn't at Arsenal, would I sign for the football club?' That's where I had to sort of put myself in my head to make sure that I was making decisions for the right reasons.

“Once I weighed everything up, and the type of player that I am, how I've been brought up to play football, and maybe where my next steps are, I still think that Arsenal is the perfect base for me to take what I'm good at to the next level and hopefully add the different side of my game that maybe will take me to the top.

“Whilst this is still a place where I can be developing every day and pushing myself, then there was no question really. The ambition of the club, I still believe is top and I can't wait to see what we can achieve.”

Who will Arsenal’s new manager be?

Williamson said she believes in the club when it comes to appointing a successor to Montemurro, who delivered the club’s first league title in seven years in 2019. The Aussie left the Gunners at the end of the season and was recently announced as the new head coach of Juventus.

“I was actually really lucky - and I do feel fortunate for these kinds of things. I think this is why I've always loved Arsenal and the type of football club that it is - I've been in regular contact with Vinai [Venkatesham, managing director] and those people higher up in the club just because they understood where I was at,” the 24-year-old said.

“Every player, really, needs that information if they're about to sign a contract or not. In the end, based on what they were looking for, what I want in a manager - and like I've said that player development thing is very important to me - and that's sort of top of their list as well.

“I basically wanted to know that the ambitions that I think the club have, they do have. I think after those conversations with them, I was happy to put my trust in the fact that they would pick somebody right for the job basically.”

What transfer business will Arsenal do?

There has been transfer speculation regarding a number of Williamson’s team-mates as well this summer. With midfielder Jill Roord and defender Ruby Mace having already departed, both Danielle van de Donk and Vivianne Miedema have been linked with Lyon, with the latter also reportedly interesting Barcelona.

Williamson admitted possible outgoings were something she couldn’t really “base [her] decision on” given those matters are “out of [her] control”, but emphasised her confidence in the club’s ability to get back to the top.

“I think we've had a lot of honest discussions this year and with the type of club that Arsenal are, the women's team have really been involved in those discussions,” she said.

“I'm a very logical person. I like to know a plan almost, and I think that the first step to that is maybe going, 'okay, we're not competing in this area, how do we fix that?' Arsenal are putting that in place.

“There's a lot still to be done, but the identification of those areas where we fall short a little bit, or have fallen short in the last couple of seasons and we've not maybe competed right at the top of the league, that's the first step for me

“The club has given me so much over the years, it's my turn, probably, to show my support back to them in terms of being here to see that through.”

Further reading

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will have the final say on the future of Marcelo and Miguel Gutierrez, as they compete for the starting left-back slot.

Gutierrez, 19, made his senior debut for the club in April and went on to feature five more times in La Liga.

The left-back has impressed for the Spanish giants and looks to have a bright future ahead of him.

What are the possibilities for Gutierrez?

Gutierrez, however, is not guaranteed a place in the first-team next season, with veteran full-back Marcelo still in the frame.

Madrid are confident Gutierrez can develop into a top player and rejected a bid for him last summer, as well as offers to take him on loan in January.

There are three options for Gutierrez ahead of next season. He could alternate between playing for the Castilla team and the senior side, leave on loan for another club in Spain, or become a fixed part of Ancelotti's squad.

It is Ancelotti who will be the man to decide if Gutierrez is deserving of a place in the team next year or if he will have to wait for his turn.

The player will meet with the Italian before the 2021-22 campaign begins to discuss his next steps, and the Spain Under 19 international will try to convince him that he has earned a place and aspires to compete with Ferland Mendy for the position.

What about Marcelo?

Brazil international Marcelo poses the biggest threat to Gutierrez's hopes of regular playing time at the top level. The 33-year-old still has a year left on his contract at Santiago Bernabeu and wants to see it out.

Madrid would rather offload him before the new season but his high salary and stature in the squad make it tough to do so.

Marcelo, who has been with the club since 2007, was limited to just 16 games in La Liga last season as the team finished second to Atletico Madrid.

Further reading

Under Gavin Hunt, who left with four games to the end of the Premier Soccer League season, Kambole only started in four games and failed to regain his top-scoring form exhibited at his previous work station. Nyambe has now alleged the poor form shown by the 27-year-old is down to being deployed in areas where it was hard for him to perform.

"[Lazarous] Kambole is a good friend of mine and I feel that Chiefs haven’t really given him that chance to play him right," Nyambe told Soccer Laduma. "Chiefs aren't playing him right. The way he played at Zesco United isn’t the same way that they are playing him. I think at Chiefs they are trying to play him behind the strikers and that is not his position. 
 
"He would flourish more playing from the wing and cutting inside and when playing as one of the forwards.
 
"That’s how they played him at Zesco United, but I have noticed that at Chiefs they have been trying to play him differently. He is a fast player, and you can’t play him as a centre-forward. For example, [Samir] Nurkovic is a centre-forward, and if you play Nurkovic as a number nine, Kambole should come from the wing and allow him to run with the ball, he is that kind of a player."
 
Kambole has emerged as Yanga SC's top target and the club's top official Said Heris is understood to have engaged Amakhosi over a potential one-year loan deal for the Zambian. 
In fact, Zesco United assistant head coach Noel Mwandila recently encouraged Yanga to complete the deal arguing Kambole will thrive in Tanzania.

"I know Kambole, he is a complete striker and one who can easily fill the boot that was left by Heritier Makambo," Mwandila said. "If they sign him, he'll be the most reliable star they've ever signed.

"He will help a great deal since he is pacy and a very competitive striker. There is an official from Yanga who called me and asked about Kambole's credentials and I assured him that the move to sign him would be the correct decision to make. 

"Kambole did well while he was at Zesco United and he could easily score 20 goals, but at Kaizer Chiefs, he was played as a winger.

"If one wants to know how strong he is, then playing him in that position is not the right way to assess him. I told the Yanga official that if Kambole was allowed to play in his natural position, they would reap the benefits of the signing.

"I understand the Tanzania league, and I know the defenders would have a difficult time dealing with him because he is a good fighter."

Kambole has one year remaining in his contract as speculation on his future at the club continues to increase.

The Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) and Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao have dismissed reports accusing Vincent Aboubakar and Jean-Claude Billong of match-fixing during a Turkish Super Lig encounter between Besiktas and Hatayspor.

Several reports are claiming that Billong and Aboubakar had an agreement prior to the game on May 1 for the Black Eagles to win, with the latter allegedly promising to help the 27-year-old get an invitation into the Indomitable Lions' set-up.

Besiktas defeated Hatayspor 7-0 with the visitors conceding five goals in the first-half and Billong was replaced at half-time, however, Aboubakar was not present for the encounter.

Following the match, Hatayspor moved to terminate Billong’s contract but Fecafoot on Wednesday, took steps to defend the two national team players involved in the unverified allegations.

“Fecafoot is outraged by the weakness, ease and emptiness of the accusations made against these players, which are not based on any evidence. Vincent Aboubakar and Jean Claude Billong are two Indomitable Lions who have always been characterized by remarkable sporting behaviour and impeccable ethics,” the Fecafoot statement read.

“Fecafoot has total confidence in the two players of the Indomitable Lions and gives them all its support in the face of the cabal of which they are the object.”

Billong earned his maiden invitation to the Cameroon national team at the end of the 2020-21 season, and he made his debut in a 1-0 friendly win over Nigeria earlier this month.

Conceicao, in his own reaction, described the centre-back and Aboubakar as ‘very good boys’ who make his team on merit.

“I disavow the attempt to involve my players in this matter. They are two very good boys. The coach chooses the Indomitable Lions players, the only criterion is merit. This will be the case as long as I am the head of this great team,” the Portuguese coach wrote on Twitter.

The allegations have not gone down well in Turkey, with Hatayspor honorary president Lutfu Savas insisting that Billong did not block some goal-bound chances during the match.

“Billong got a tattoo on his leg one day before the game. He applied some creams to relieve the pain. It is known that the area that was tattooed is sensitive for a week,” Savas told Goal. “Therefore, he avoided possible contact on his leg by turning his back to some of the strikes. We gave away some chances and we conceded goals.

“I would not want to have such a player in my club. I had a discussion with the board and we terminated his contract. That’s all I know. Also, big teams like Besiktas have also conceded so many goals sometimes, it happens in football.

“We terminated Billong’s contract due to his fault, not for something else. If you have any doubts, you can go to court. These claims are nothing but shameful.”

Besiktas president Ahmet Nur Cebi, on the other hand, has also commented on the allegations and he maintains that the Black Eagles clinched their 16th Super Lig crown fairly.

“It is a disgraceful lie. If that’s the way they use to consolidate themselves, that’s fine. The championships of Besiktas are all clean as a whistle,” Cebi told Goal.

Finland coach Markku Kanerva has praised his players for their display of support for Christian Eriksen.

The Finland players wore t-shirts bearing the message "Get well, Christian" ahead of their Euro 2020 match against Russia on Wednesday.

Kanerva revealed that the players wanted to show their support for the Denmark star, who suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during their opening game of the tournament against the Finns in Copenhagen.

What has been said?

"We had a discussion with the captains. They suggested it and I supported it," the coach told reporters after their 1-0 defeat against Russia on Wednesday.

"Thanks to the responsible people who made this possible at short notice. This tells a story about the nature of the players."

How did the game go?

Russia secured a vital three points by beating Finland 1-0 in the Group B clash.

Aleksey Miranchuk made the difference with a goal just before half-time. He received a pass from Artem Dzyuba and cut inside before sending the ball curling into the top corner.

Finland thought they had struck the net in the opening minutes of the game, but Joel Pohjanpalo's goal was ruled ruled offside following a VAR check.

Kanerva was happy with his team's performance and is hopeful of a good result against Belgium to send them through to the next round.

"We would've deserved at least one point today. Belgium will be a very strong opponent, but the team has shown that we can make dreams come true," he said.

“We defended well and going forward we improved on our display against Denmark. We didn’t manage to score but we had good situations: some shots that went narrowly wide, others were blocked. It was a really close game.”

Finland player Paulus Arajuuri says having the goal chalked off affected his team, saying: "I don’t know how far Joel was offside, but it was so close. It’s all about fine margins, and today they didn’t go our way. It gives you a huge energy boost when you score. And when it’s ruled out, it takes a lot of energy out of you, too."

Cherchesov happy for Miranchuk

Russia manager Stanislav Cherchesov says he is happy with the way Miranchuk has developed in the last year, as the Atalanta player stepped up to earn their first win of the competition.

"When I was talking to him about his move to Atalanta I said that I support it. It was a big step for his career and for him as a player and person," he said.

"He has always been a good player but he had to develop as a person and get out of his comfort zone. We are very happy with his progress. We are not trying to force anything. We hope that he'll become one of the leaders at Atalanta next season."

Further reading

Yanga SC goalkeeper trainer Razak Siwa has claimed he has not seen any team crowned 2020-21 Mainland Premier League champions to deny his side a chance to fight for the title.

The Jangwani giants will resume their top-flight action after the two-week break (occasioned by the international friendly between Tanzania and Malawi) against Ruvu Shooting at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Thursday.

But according to Siwa, the race for the league title is still wide open and no team has been crowned to signal the end of the campaign.

What has been said?

Asked by Goal on whether Yanga are still in the title race, the Kenyan tactician said: “We are still in the race, I don’t think the league has ended, or who has been crowned then, to indicate the season is over, show me who has won the title?

“We are in the race until the end of the season, and the fight is on, we will not give up unless you give me a name of the champion who has been crowned, I don’t think there is one, so we are playing football until the end.”

On facing Ruvu Shooting, Siwa said: “We are happy with the break because it has helped us to fix a few things that were not working for us and we are now ready to face Ruvu Shooting and we know we will come out with three points.”

Despite lying second on the 18-team table with 61 points from 29 matches, six points behind table-toppers Simba SC, Yanga have refused to give up on the title race.

Yanga eying 15 points from five matches

On Tuesday, Yanga Media Officer Hassan Bumbuli sensationally claimed they are confident of winning all 15 points from their remaining five matches in the league to help boost their chances of winning the title.

The Jangwani giants have five matches to conclude the season starting with Ruvu Shooting on June 17 (Thursday), June 20 against Mwadui FC, July 3 against rivals Simba SC in the Kariakoo derby, July 14 against Ihefu FC, and their last match is on July 18 against Dodoma City.

“We have not given up on winning the league title as we still have five matches to play before the season concludes, in those five matches we have planned to win all of them and then after the league is over we will know what we have reaped and what we deserve,” Bumbuli told Goal.

“We should remember those leading the table now [Simba] have two matches in hand, and when they finish playing those matches and then we are all level on matches played, then we will be in a position to know where we are.

“But one thing I can assure you is Yanga will not give up on the title race until the final day, we will fight and make sure we get all the points from our five matches, we will not lose hope until we achieve our goal of winning the title.”

Yanga have not won the league title for the past three seasons with Simba claiming the crown three times in a row.

Abdellatif Salef has been sacked as coach of the Somalia senior national team after less than three weeks in charge.

Following the dismissal of Said Abdi Haibeh as handler of the Ocean Stars over poor performances, in May 2021, the Belgo-Moroccan tactician was named as his replacement on a two-year deal.

"Somalia is a football nation. Since my arrival in Mogadishu, I have always seen children playing on the streets of Mogadishu, so it shows that Somalia is a football-mad country,” Salef said.

He was expected to lead the team in the preliminary match of the Fifa Arab Cup Qatar 2021 against Oman on June 20.

He has been shown the way out in less than one month by his employers who labelled him as 'incompetent'.

“Somali Football Federation, has today 15, June 2021, announced the sacking of Abdellatif Salef, a Belgium national of Moroccan origin, less than three weeks after his appointment as Ocean Stars head coach,” a statement from SFF read.

“He doesn’t possess the professionalism that a national team coach should have. He continuously used abusive words against the players, he maltreated them since taking charge of the team and he doesn’t have good behaviour.

"The players were unhappy with his training sessions, as his skills and experience are not those of national team standards, while he didn’t even come up with a training plan.

“The coach failed to cooperate with his technical team as well as the players. The sacking of the coach comes several hours before Somalia were due to encounter Djibouti in a friendly match on Tuesday evening.”

The Somali football ruling body is expected to announce a replacement in the coming days.

Since playing their first international game against Kenya in 1958, the country is yet to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations and the Fifa World Cup.

Currently, they are ranked as the 52nd best team in Africa and no. 197 in the world according to June's Fifa rankings.

Arsenal are hoping to confirm a new long-term contract for Emile Smith Rowe imminently after laughing off an offer from Aston Villa for the 20-year-old.

Having already signed long-term Arsenal target Emiliano Buendia this summer, Villa launched an audacious move to land Smith Rowe during the past few days.

But Goal can confirm the offer was knocked back immediately by the Gunners, who are confident that their young playmaker will put pen to paper on a new deal before the start of the new season.

How much was the bid?

Villa submitted an official offer in the region of £25 million ($35m) for Smith Rowe.

Arsenal rejected the bid out of hand, firmly making it clear to the Midlands outfit that their academy product was not for sale and was integral to Mikel Arteta’s plans going forward.

What’s Smith Rowe’s contract situation?

Smith Rowe, who made his first Premier League start on Boxing Day before playing a starring role during the second half of last season, currently has a deal which runs until 2023.

Talks have been taking place to extend that contract, however, with Arsenal confident an agreement is very close.

Sources have confirmed to Goal that the club are hopeful that Smith Rowe will have committed his future before the start of the new Premier League season, which gets under way on August 14.

Further reading

Kaizer Chiefs will be without their influential playmaker Lebogang Manyama when they take on Wydad Casablanca in the Caf Champions League clash on Saturday.

The Soweto giants announced a squad of 21 players, who will be travelling to Morocco for their semi-final first-leg match against Wydad which will take place at Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.

The four-time PSL champions released the following statement indicating that Manyama has joined fellow attackers Khama Billiat and Dumisani Zuma on the team's injury list: 

"They will however have to do without Ramahlwe Mphahlele and Lebogang Manyama who join the injury list that already has Khama Billiat and Dumisani Zuma on it," a club statement read.

Manyama played an instrumental role in helping Chiefs secure a top-eight finish in the PSL during the recent 2020/21 season as he scored an impressive hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Lamontville Golden Arrows on June 2.

However, Amakhosi have been boosted by the availability of experienced goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who has been included in the 21-man travelling squad.

The 33-year-old has been missing from the team's matchday squads since April 28 as Chiefs succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Chippa United and he has now been recalled to the team by co-coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard.

"Co-coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard have been able to call upon Chiefs’ experienced and younger players for the game in Morocco, with that in mind they have opted to take three goalkeepers with them calling up Bruce Bvuma, Itumeleng Khune and Daniel Akpeyi," another statement read.

Chiefs will depart on a special charter flight on Wednesday evening and the second-leg encounter is scheduled to be played at FNB Stadium on June 26.

Chiefs' travelling squad

Goalkeepers: Bruce Bvuma, Daniel Akpeyi, Itumeleng Khune

Defenders: Njabulo Blom, Philani Zulu, Daniel Cardoso, Reeve Frosler, Kgotso Moleko, Siyabonga Ngezana, Yagan Sasman, Darrel Matsheke, Erick Mathoho, Anthony Agay

Midfielders: Kearyn Baccus, Willard Katsande, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Happy Mashiane

Forwards: Lazalous Kambole, Bernard Parker, Leonardo Castro, Samir Nurković

AFC Leopards were forced to rally from behind and pick a 2-2 draw against Sofapaka in an FKF Premier League fixture at Wundanyi Stadium on Wednesday.

Lawrence Juma's brace was later cancelled by efforts by striker Elvis Rupia and Austin Odhiambo to ensure the former league champions shared points in Taita Taveta county.

Juma, a consistent goal scorer for Sofapaka this season, scored in the first minute before Ingwe had even settled into the game. The former Nzoia Sugar and Gor Mahia midfielder completed his brace in the 10th minute to stun the visitors.

Rupia scored for AFC Leopards in the 18th minute from the spot after they recovered and started launching direct attacks against the 2009 Premier League champions.

Odhiambo was unlucky not to find the back of the net in the 52nd minute after being put through by Collins Shichenje, only to send the ball just wide from inside the penalty box.

In a bid to strengthen the midfield and the forward line, coach Patrick Aussems made changes as he brought on Peter Thiong'o and Said Tsuma in place of Eugene Mukangula and Marvin Nabwire in the 57th minute.

After missing a clear opportunity in the early moments of the second half, Odhiambo finally helped AFC equalise in the 70th minute. The midfielder took a free-kick from the edge of the box and managed to power past an outstretched Kevin Omondi for his first goal of the season.

Meanwhile, at Utalii Ground, Wazito registered a 2-0 win over Kariobangi Sharks in their respective engagement.

Kevin Kimani scored for Wazito in the 19th minute with a long-range header, despite the hosts starting the game looking a more ambitious side. Ellie Asieche - from a promising position - would have added the second one, but his effort slid wide off the right-hand post.

Kariobangi Sharks came close to getting an equaliser in the 32nd minute, but goalkeeper Fredrick Odhiambo did well to deny Harambee Stars full-back Daniel Sakari. Kimani would have earned a brace, but the Kariobangi Sharks goalkeeper, Brandon Obiero, denied him a fantastic save in the 43rd minute.

Johnstone Omurwa saw his effort from a free header miss the target slightly from a corner delivered by Kimani in the 53rd minute, with Wazito looking hungrier for goals than Willaim Muluya's side. However, the visitors doubled the lead in the 71st minute when Rooney Onyango's powerful header went past Obiero.

Finally, KCB kept their title dream much alive after picking three points against Bidco United with a 1-0 win courtesy of Derrick Otanga's first-half goal in Thika.

Austria star Marko Arnautovic has been suspended for one match following UEFA's investigation into remarks the striker made towards Ezgjan Alioski.

After scoring in Austria's 3-1 win over North Macedonia, Arnautovic was seen gesturing in the direction of Alioski and allegedly shouting “I'm f*cking your Albanian mother”.

The player took to social media following the incident to apologise, insisting that his words were not racially charged, but UEFA has made the decision to ban him for one game for using insulting language.

What did Arnautovic say?

"There were some heated words yesterday in the emotions of the game for which I would like to APOLOGIZE - especially to my friends from North Macedonia and Albania," he wrote on Instagram.

"I would like to say one thing very clearly: I AM NOT A RACIST! I have friends in almost every country and I stand for diversity. Everyone who knows me is aware of that."

What did UEFA say?

Arnautovic may have said sorry, but he has been suspended regardless – although UEFA's press release made no mention of racism.

“The UEFA Appeals Body has decided to suspend Austrian Football Association player, Marko Arnautovic, for the next (1) UEFA representative team competition match for which he would be otherwise eligible, for insulting another player.”

The bigger picture

With Arnautovic having made an instant impact when coming off the bench against North Macedonia, the news of his suspension will sting fans who had been counting on him to pose a threat to the Netherlands.

Indeed, even Dutch boss Frank de Boer noted his absence as a big blow, telling a press conference on Wednesday: “This is of course a pity for Austria, they will miss him. 

“For us it is an advantage. He immediately made the difference [against North Macedonia] after he came on.”

Further reading

Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has revealed the local giants were not under any threat from AmaZulu to retain their PSL title.

The Brazilians clinched their record-setting fourth consecutive title on May 26 after a 3-1 win against 10-man SuperSport United, becoming the first team in the league’s history to win the title in four consecutive seasons.

Despite AmaZulu putting up a late fight to beat Masandawana to the crown, the reigning champions held on to finish the season with a gap of 13 points and Mngqithi believes his side had already built a firm grip on the title and they were not under any threat to relinquish it.

Mngqithi has further said the work which had already been done by the club’s president Patrice Motsepe ahead of the season, who created an environment where they were able to deliver the title was part of the reason they succeeded.

“When we were given an opportunity it was at the back of the President [Motsepe] knowing our capacity and we had to deliver on that by using our leadership qualities and making sure that this thing does not crumble on our hands,” Mngqithi, who sits on the bench alongside co-head coach Rulani Mokwena, said as quoted by Citizen website.

“We were fortunate to hold it from the beginning and it never showed any signs of being shaky.”

On his achievements in South African football, Mngqithi said: “I am one football coach in South Africa who has coached in almost all the levels. From the local domestic league where I have won it now. I have won the SAB League,

“I’ve won the ABC Motsepe League. The only league that I have not won is the National First Division because I only spent one season as a coach. I was an assistant in the first season and the following season I coached Royal Tigers and Moja United.”

Mngqithi, who ended up at Sundowns as an assistant to Pitso Mosimane in 2013 continued: “I know my story as a school football coach and having coached at all levels. At Golden Arrows I brought them their first trophy [2009 MTN8] and I regard myself as someone who is not a failure.

“As to what other people think, it is neither here nor there because the unfortunate part in our society is that the people who criticise you the most are your fellow people who should be lifting you up.”

Sundowns were the first to win three league titles in a row from 1998 to 2000 before SuperSport managed three titles from 2008 to 2010. 

It was Cristiano Ronaldo's day on Tuesday but legendary Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan would get in the trends as a result too.

In their Euro 2020 Group F opener against Hungary, Ronaldo scored twice in the last three minutes of regular time to seal a 3-0 victory. 

The goals have put him in position as the all-time highest goal scorer in Euros history with 11, surpassing Michel Platini on 9.

But there was another record, which the Juventus star could only equal. 

The Hungary double saw the Portuguese become only the second player to score in nine consecutive major tournaments, after Gyan.

The feat has put the Ghanaian, his nation's all-time top scorer and most capped player with 51 goals in 109 internationals, in the trends too, with many hailing his exploits.

Below are the best reactions: